Hi Yasmin & Suse, I hope you are completely recovered, it is good to see you back again.
I just opened a bank account a couple of weeks ago at Yapıkredi. It's quite easy, just a matter of filling out some forms and depositing the money. You can also open dollar and British Pound accounts. No big requirements really, just a valid ID and the money to deposit.
The default account I had was a non-interest bearing account. I am using that to automatically pay bills (just take your utility, satellite TV bills, etc and they will set it up). I also deposited Turkish Lira into a one-year interest-bearing account and a monthly interest-bearing account which will automatically re-invest the interest.
Yapıkredi got me set up on their internet site for internet banking and also helped me with downloading their mobile application and getting that set up.
No problems whatsoever.

I didn't get to Izmir until 1997, but heard stories of Izmir's "glory days" including when they had this big hotel on the First Kordon, the Kordon Hotel I think it was called. Also heard quite a few stories about the 1980 coup and the curfew. A lot of the Turks who were there when I first got there were also there during those days. We even had a clock from the Kordon Hotel in our office. It has since been turned over to the Turkish military I believe, who are running it as a regular hotel now.

Excellent news! Looks like you are "out of the woods" then. Thanks for the update, I was wondering how it would go.
What documents are you referring to? and by "native speaker," what language are you referring to? English or Turkish?

I can't answer that... since I cannot know when the DGMM will send your residence permit. You could give a friend power of attorney to pick it up at the PTT if it becomes necessary. You can get a power of attorney specifically for what you want another person to do for you at any local notary (noter). I don't know of anyone who has done this, but I think that would be the only other option.

Have a look at this article:
Turkey Visa 90 in 180 Days Rule
The visa validity period is 180 days. You could buy as many visas as you want, back to back, indefinitely. And you could come and go as much as you like during those 180-day validity periods. But your total time in Turkey, at any time, for the previous 180 days, must not exceed 90 days.
The 180-day validity period, and the 180-day period in which you can stay in Turkey for a maximum of 90 days, even though they are the same number of days, are two different things.
The first 180-day period, that is, the visa validity period, is fixed by calendar dates. It will always start with on the day you bought the visa and always end on the day the visa expires.
The second 180-day period is a rolling range of days which must be counted backwards from whatever day "today" is. It will always start on whatever day it was 180 days ago, and will always end "today."
As long as you have a valid visa, and your time in Turkey in the past 180 day period has not exceeded 90 days, you can remain in Turkey.
See the article also for a link to a visa calculator in case you need it (at the bottom of the article). It is the simplest way of calculating total time in Turkey, validity dates, etc.

Hi Deandreo, welcome to Turkey Central. Interesting question but I think we need more information before anybody can make an educated answer.
1. Have you actually met in real life or is this an internet love story?
2. How long have you known each other?
3. How much time have you spent actually in each other's company?
4. What, in your mind, is the best outcome for this situation?

İn Tuzla. Yesterday I have got a number to ring to find out what is happening.The lady told me on November 17 I will get the answer!!??? They will let me know where and when will I get my res. card. The Univ. applied for a "family card" because the short term card could be just six months so I am classified as a new applicant. Very confusing. Will let you know when it is eventuates. Your friend will need his application number and passport number handy, mother and father name and where he is staying now. They are very polite and helpful!!!!

Just to quickly report back here too, after a little delay involving a lovely four-day (!) health check at Göztepe Hospital, which I had been asked to undergo just before they scrapped that requirement, I also did get my residence permit today. It's for seven months, as requested (as my insurance wasn't willing to extend the coverage prematurely...). Of course, given how long it took, those seven months are almost over now...

I agree that there are extremely helpful and kind people here and we met a lot of them, but I think there is a huge problem bubbling under the surface here, I think it has to do with the Syrian refugees, we don't look Caucasian and often people come up to us and ask us whether we are from Syria, once they hear we are not their demeanour immediately changes and they instantly become friendly. I'm starting to understand a few Turkish words and oftentimes I hear things like onlar yabancee, Syrianlar. I have also searched in the past Bursa news and learned that their was a huge riot against Syrians here in September, I'm not saying that all Turks are rejecting people that they might think are Syrian but at the same time I want visitors to this forum to be aware of our experiences here in Bursa in particular.

They were totally wrong in keeping any original documents issued by another country....they will insist on seeing the original, apostilled ,translated & noterised document BUT should only keep a photocopy of it.
The British Consulate will not 'legalise' any document issued in the UK,so you'll need to send it off to the FCO,or any private apostilling company to have this done.